Henry w



(No Model.)

H. W. JOHNS. 901111911 P011 51110111.10 WIRES.

No. 459,599. Patented sept. 15, 1991.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY IV. JOHNS, OF NEV YORK, N. Y.

CONDUIT FOR ELECTRIC WIRES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 459,509, datedSeptember 15,1891.

liflpplication iilecl April 27, 1891. Serial No. 390,554. (No model.)

To a/ZZ tu/wm, t may concern/.-

Be it known that I, HENRY IV. JOHNS, a citizen of the United States, anda resident of New York city, in the county of New York and State of NewYork, have invented certain new and useful Insulating-Oonduits forElectric lVires, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a new and useful insulating tube or conduit forelectric wires intended especially for interior work; and it consists inmaking a seamless flexible braided, knitted, or woven tube of afire-proof material, andso treating it that it shall be water-proof, andpreferably lining-and covering` 1t on the inside and outside, one orboth, so that the wires may be easily introduced, and also so that theexterior may be hard and firm, presenting a surface which may be readilypainted or otherwise decorated. The flexibility of my conduit is ofgreat advantage because corners and angles may be turnedwithoutfdisjointing it, and also because it can be made in long piecesand rolled up for transportation.

Theiigure of the drawing illustratesa longitudinal section of a piece ofmy conduit.

To make my improved article I take asbestus yarns or strands andsaturate them with a water-proof material during the process of weavingor braiding or prior thereto, orI may first braid the tube and afterwardwaterproof it. The waterproofing material may be paraiiine-wax or asolution of the same, properly-prepared tar, or a drying-oil of anykind, or it may be in the nature of a cement, which should preferably beelastic, or it may be india-rubber, or its equivalent, treated more orless with sulphur, so as to become vulcanizable, and the tube or conduitmay thereafter be partially or wholly vulcanized according` to thedegree of flexibility required. The conduit thus formed should have itspores filled so that it will be air-tight, and it may be additionallycoated so as to present a smooth or measurably smooth interior, so thatthe wires will not catch in its inner wall while they are beingintroduced. I sometimes also coat the tube on the interior withplumbago. I may also coat the exteriorwith any of the materials beforementioned or with asphalt, pitch, guin-shellac, or a suitable i heavyvarnish. For special purposes the couduit may be coated inside andoutside, one or both, and either in conjunction with the coating abovementioned or not with a plastic material, such as plaster-of-paris,oxide of zinc. powered asbestus, or like materials combined with oil orother substance which will stiffeu it to a desired extent.

In the drawing, A represents the seamless Woven asbestus tube proper,which is treated with the waterproofing material.

B represents an asphalt coating on the inside and outside, and Crepresents an exterior plastic lining or coating. I show the last coat Con the exterior 'of the tube only. It may be on the interior also, ifdesired.

For certain purposes my woven asbestus conduit will be improved by aninterior or exterior coating, one or-both, of suitable sheet metal-as,for instance, lead. This may be applied to the conduit in the form of athin sheet with a suitable cementing material, or it may be wound orpressed thereon, or, the conduit being made of asbestus, it may beimmersed in molten metal without injury, and may thus be madeto receivea thin film or coating of metal, or the metal may be applied by anelectrical. process or otherwise.

It is obvious that my invention may be practically employed by makingthe tube of material which, although not fire-proof of itself, has beenmade tire-proof by special treatment. For instance, hemp and certainother fibrous materials may be subjected to a fireprooing treatment-as,for instance, by saturation with silicate of soda or other fireproofingmaterial-and may be substituted for the asbest-us, which, however, Iprefer, and when I use the words fire-proof strands or yarns in theclaims hereof Imean such as are either tire proof in themselves, asasbestus, or which have been rendered fire-proof by treatment, and suchtreatment may be either before or after they are woven into the tube orconduit. I may also braid, knit, or weave the fireproof strands upon atube of paper, preferably asbestus paper, which may be made into tubularform, as set forth in my pending application, Serial No. 387,316, iiledApril 1,1891, or otherwise. The construction gives additional strengthagainst indentation, and also furnishes a smooth hard interior.

ICO

lt will be seen that my invention possesses the desirableCharacteristics of ineonibustibility and iiexibility, and that it isWaterproof; also, thatit may be made in long lengths and rolled intocoils for transportation.

I olaimt l. A seamlesswo'ven, knitted, or braided tube or conduit madefrom asbestus strands or yarns, the saine being Waterproofed, sub-Asaturated or oated with a lvulcani/gable mad tel-iai, substantially asset forth. v Ll. A seamless Woven, knitted, or braided tube or conduitmade from reproof strands or yarns of iibrous material and having anexterior coating of protecting and strengthening' material, such asmetal, plastic ma* terial, and the like, substantially as set forth. 5.A seamless Woven, knitted, or braided tube or Conduit made fromfire-proof strands or yarns of fibrous material, the same beingwaterproofed, substantially as set forth.

Signed at New York, in the county of NeuT York and State of New York,this 21st day ot' April, A. D. 1891.

HENRY WV. JOHNS. Vitnesses:

PHILLIPS ABBOTT, J. E. HOFFMAN.

